Steam heating apparatus and method



July 25, 1950 J. K. LUND STEAM HEATING APPARATUS AND METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 29, 1945 July 25, 1950 .1. K. LUND STEAM HEATING APPARATUS AND METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Sept. 29, 1945 .ZZZZ/EHTUZ- JAM as K Lulvo JKVQ /M 11 5 Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEAM HEATING APPARATUS AND DIETHOD James K. Lund, Oak Park, Ill., assignor'to The Dole Valve Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application September 29, 1945, Serial No. 619,386. Divided and this application October 10, 1947, Serial No. 779,004

4 Claims. (01. 237-68) number of rooms to be heated containing radi-,

ators, these rooms and radiators are of difierent distances from the source of steam supply and with the ordinary air valves the radiators nearest the steam supply have the air driven out sooner than those farthest away. It is very desirable to have the air driven from all of the radiators at substantially the same time, regardless of their distance from the source of steam supply.

An object of the invention is to provide a method of and system for heating with steam by means of which the above desirable results can be accomplished.

Another object is to provide a method of and system for heating with steam so that radiators farthest from the source of steam supply will have larger air escape openings than those nearest the source of supply, these air escape openings being of the proper size to cause all the radiators to be filled with steam at substantially the same time, it being understood that each radiator is equipped with one of the air valves forming a part of this invention.

Still another object of the instant invention is the provision of a novel method of and system for heating with steam whereby the eiiectiveness of the steam in heating in the several radiation areas will be the same regardless of the size of the area or its distance from the source of steam.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a steam heating system embodying means for so controlling the venting of air that it can be adjusted when installed so that the radiscription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of one form of air valve embodying the instant invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view,

with parts in elevation, through the air valve shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the removable top piece of the air valve;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view through the partshaving the movable air openings and the graduations;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 5, with the relationship of another part indicated by dotted lines;

Figure 7 is a sectional view through the immovable parts having the cam-shaped opening which cooperates with the opening of the device shown in Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a plan view of the structure of Figure 7 ators farthest from the source of steam will have larger air escape .openings than those nearest the source of steam, the air escape openings being of the proper size to cause all the radiators to be filled with steam at substantially the same time.

Other objects and features of this invention more fully appear from the following detailed de- Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve seat for the valve on the float;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the application of the invention to a steam heating system embodying a common source of steam connected to spaced radiators which may be of different sizes; and

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the variance in the vent opening resulting from adjustments of the relatively movable parts seen in Figures 5 and '7, illustrating that the opening in the element of Figure 5 follows a geometric curve to thereby cause a venting of air in arithmetical progression through the respective graduations.

It will, of course, be understood that like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

I believe that my novel method of and system for heating with steam will best be understood in my novel valve for use in conjunction with the same and which valve is being claimed in my aforesaid application, Serial No. 619,386.

Referring now to the drawings wherein I have shown one form of air valve embodying the invention, the construction illustrated has a casing l with a nipple 2 by means of which it is connected to a radiator. There is a drain pipe 3 which connects the interior of the casing l with the radiator. Within the casing there is a false bottom 4 which is fastened in position, and a float 5 that may rest upon this bottom. A valve 6 con- 3 nected with the float cooperates with the valve seat 1 around a discharge passageway 8 in a removable piece 9. It is, of course, evident that any other form of air valve of this type may be used in place of the parts just described.

The casing I is provided with a cross-wall which has an opening to receive the part 9, there being a screw threaded connection between the part 9 and the cross-wall 10. There is a connecting passageway II which extends through the wall of the part 9 and which connects with the discharge passageway 8. Surrounding the part 9 is a cup-shaped member 12 that rests upon the cross-wall l0, Figure 2, and which is fastened in position in any desired manner. The member l2 has an eccentrically shaped or cam-shaped opening H3 extending through it. Preferably 4 posite it a solid portion of the part I2. To adjust the air valves, the top member I6 is loosened by slightly unscrewing it, and then the air vent adjusting member Hi, the member bearing the graduated scale 2!, is rotated to the desired position.

'When it is rotated in the direction of the arrow seen in Figure 6 and it reaches the part l3b of the curved periphery of the cam-shaped opening this opening is in the form of a geometric curve.

The passageway H connects the passageway 8' with the interior of the cup-shaped member I2 and with its cam-shaped opening 43. The opening I3 has a curvedperiphery [3a (Figures '6 and 87' that has apart l3b which is farthest from the center [343, the curved periphery then approaching the center |3c until it reaches the point ltd, where it then departs from the center to form the part 132), following the curve clockwise therearound.

A movable air vent adjusting member I4 sur-' rounds the member [2 and has an air vent opening I5which cooperates with the cam-shaped opening l3 in the part l2 to adjust the size of the airdischarge from the valve, as more fully hereinafter described. A top member 55 having a threaded stern ll that extends through an opening 18 in the member M and into a threaded opening in the part 8, prevents the escape of air fro'm'the top of the passageway 8. This top member it is provided with one or more air vent openings '19 and a slot 29 for any suitable instrument for tightening and loosening the member I6.

The air vent adjusting member M is provided with a graduated scale 2| comprising a series of numbered graduations, as seen clearly in Figure 6. It is, of course, evident that there may be more graduations and that there may be intermediate graduations between those indicated in the drawings. There is preferably a pointer or indicating device'22 on the casing I (Figure 1) which indicates the graduation or number opposite it in any of the various positions of the air vent adjusting member it.

The use and operation of my invention is as follows:

When the air valves are in use, they are placed upon the radiators in the system, the radiators being at different distances from the source of steam supply. Under these conditions, when the system starts up, the air valves on the radiators at a distance from the source of supply are required to discharge more air before the radiators are filled with steam, because there is more air in the pipes leading to those radiators, than for the nearer radiators, and it also takes more time for the steam to reach the distant radiators than it does to reach the nearer ones. The air valves are adjusted, therefore, so that all the air will be discharged from all of the radiators at substantially the same time so that the radiators will all be filled with steam at substantially the same time. The air vent adjusting member and the member I2 having the cam-shaped opening 13 are indicated in Figure 6 in a position where the air vent opening is entirely closed by having opi3, the vent opening I5 is fully open. As the air vent adjusting member I4 is turned further, the open'area thereof decreases, so as to decrease the amount of air vented from the air valves in any given time. The air valves are adjusted so that a smaller amount of air is vented from the air valves on the radiators nearest the source of steam supply than on the radiators farthest away.

To better illustrate the application of this invention to a heating system, I have illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 10 a steam heating system which, with the exception of my novel way of venting the same, may be of any conventional construction. In this figure, the reference characters A, B and C designate conventional steam radiators which may be located in different spaced radiation areas in a given building to be heated and are connected by the usual piping D to a common source of steam which may be a boiler illustrated diagrammatically and indicated by reference character E.

Each of the radiators A, B and C is equipped with the vent above described and which in any instance is designated generally by the reference character V.

"@EtW-ill be perceived that b reason of the differences in the distances separating the respective radiators A, B and C from the common source of steam heat, adjustments must be made in each of the valves V so as to insure an overall consistent heating eifectiveness of the steam. I have found, as noted before, that the desired result can be best obtained by adjusting the venting of the air on a common arithmetical progression basis in all of the valves V of the several radiators consistent with the location of the radiators, as well as the size of the area being heated, the radiator A, for example, may have its vents V adjusted so that the designated valve opening reads 3 on the graduated scale 2 i. Similarly, the radiators B and C may have their vents V adjusted so that they, for example, have readings 5 and 6 on their graduated scales. In each case of the different vent openings, differences involve equal increments of change insofar as air discharge is concerned so that they are thus adjusted to discharge air on a common arithmetical progression basis. In this manner the differences in the radiating areas and their remoteness from the steam source are compensated. for so that the steam is better utilized to provide uniform effectiveness of the steam in heating the several radiation areas or radiators. Accordingly, the control of the distribution of the steam is not made on a guess or haphazard basis but is made on a common predetermined accurate basis. This operation of my novel valve mean may still better be understood with reference to the an equal amount of area at each increment of the graduated scale but does vary the opening in such a manner that an equal amount of air will be discharged from the opening for each increment of the scale. Thus, if the setting I permits two cubic feet of air to pass through the opening IS, the setting 8 will permit four cubic feet to pass, and the setting 9 will permit six cubic feet to pass, and so on, each variation increasing or decreasing the air discharged by the same amount. Thus, while the curve l3 itself, as stated above, is a geometrical curve, the discharge of air is on the basis of arithmetical progression. As a consequence, a steam fitter in using this valve does not have to guess as, to the amount of air discharged. He knows that he can obtain a given discharge of air for each adjustment and that the increments of air discharged are the same for each adjustment.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope pended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a steam heating system including steam radiators located at spaced and different radiation areas to be heated by a common source of steam, venting means connected to each of the of the apradiators and all embodying vent opening modigression basis to provide consistent overall heating effectiveness of the steam irrespective of the differences in the size of the areas or of their remoteness from the steam source, said vent opening modifying means having a governing portion following a geometric curve to vary the actual air discharged through said opening by an equal amount for each of a series of uniformly spaced graduated positions.

2. In a steam heating system including steam radiators located at spaced and different radiation areas to be heated by a common source of steam, venting means connected to each of the radiators and all embodying vent opening modifying means adjustable to vary the air flow through the vent on a common arithmetical progression basis to provide consistent overall heating effectiveness of the steam irrespective of the differences in the size of the areas or of their remoteness from the steam source, said vent opening modifying means comprising a plurality of relatively movable members, one of which has an opening adapted to be lapped by the edge on the other member, the other member having an edge in the form of a geometric curve to vary the actual air flow through said opening by an equal amount for each of a series of graduated positions.

3. In a method of heating with steam heated radiators located in different areas and at varying distances from a common source of heat and from which air is vented through an opening by the steam from said source, the steps of varying the air vent opening in each of said areas along a geometric curve of uniformly spaced increments to cause changes in volume of vented air to follow an arithmetical basis, and adjusting the vent openings in said areas for different volumes of air to compensate for the varying distances of the radiators from the source of steam.

4. In a method of heating with steam heated radiators located in different areas of different sizes and from each of which radiators air is vented through an opening by steam delivered from a common source, the steps of changing the cross-sectional size of the vent openings for said areas each along a, predetermined geometrical basis to cause corresponding volume changes in vented air along an arithmetical basis, and controlling the venting in the several areas so that the greatest venting occurs at areas requiring the same to afford consistent even overall heating of the areas and compensate for the differences in size of the areas.

JAMES K. LUND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,190,197 Simpson Feb. 13, 1940 2,197,250 Davies Apr. 16, 1940 2,338,495 Davies Jan. 4, 1944 

